Automatic folding garment hanger



June 8 1926.

w. PATTERSON AUTOMATIC FOLDING GARMENT HANGER Filed Sept- 10, 1 25heets-Sheet 1 Willie/m 1 Patfamw;

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June '8 W. PATTERSON AUTOMATIC FOLDING GARMENT HANGER Sheets- Sheet 2 Filed Sept. m. 1924 I 1 I gwuemtot v Jaw mam);

t r 'aientetad June it, 1926i.

WILLIAM PATTERSON, OF ?HILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC FOLDING GARMENT HANGER.

Application filed. September 10, 1924. Serial No. 736,930.

This invention relates to garment-hangers and provides an automatic folding garmenthanger which can be screwed or otherwise attached to a door or other support.

An object of the present invention is to provide a hanger which folds up and back into a case so that when the device is closed, the hanger-arms are concealed from View; the construction and arrangement being such as to provide a neat, pleasing, and ornamental attachment for any door or other support.

A further object of the invention is to provide a garment-hanger in which the support-bar to which the hanger-arms are attached may be carried by a case mounted on the surface of the door or set in a recess in the door so as to be flush with the surface; means being provided for causing the hanger-arms to automatically swing into and out of operative. position as the support-bar is alternately raised and lowered.

Other objects and advantages of the invention may be apparent from the following detailed description thereof, reference being had, also, to the accompanying drawings, wherein 3 7 Figure 1 is a front elevation of a section of a door-or other support to the surfaceof which the invention is shown applied and in closed position.

Figure 2 is a sectionalview, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a sectional view of the garment-hanger taken on line 83 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of the hinge connection between the case and the support-bar assembly.

Figure 5 is a detail view showing a different, or inset, type of case with which the invention may be used.

Figure 6 is a front elevation of a section of a wardrobe having a modified form of the invention applied thereto.

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section taken on line 7 7 of Fig. 6, the hanger arm being shown within the case. A

Figure 8 is a cross section of the case taken on line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a longitudinal section showing the hanger-arms in open position beyond the case.

Figure 10 is a detail view,-in perspective, of one of the hanger-arms.

and out of the groove. are operated by a straight rack-bar 24 hav- Describing the inventionin detail, and referring more particularly to the construction shown in Figures 1 to 5, inclusive, 10 designates the casing of the device which is long and rectangular and which is secured to "the door or other support 11 in a verticalposition.. WVhen the case is mounted on the surface of the door, as in Figure 2, the sides and ends of the case aretapered, or rounded,

as shown at 12, and securing means 13 are passed through the tapered portions to hold it in position. WVhen the case is to be set in the door, however, the latter is provided with a recess 1& to receive the case, as shown in Figure 5, and the case is provided with an attaching flange .15 by means of which the device is secured in place, the. flange being countersunk so as tobe flush with the surface of the door. v I

'VVithin the ease, and pivoted or hinged thereto, as at 16, for movement outwardly thereof, is a hollow support-bar 17 having its opposite sides provided with a series of grooves 18 in each of which is accommodated a hanger-arm 19. At its outer end, the hanger-arm is provided with a knob 20 to prevent the garment from slipping off the arm and at its inner end it has a .hub 21. Hub 21 fits in an opening 22 at one end of the groove and is held in placeby a pin 28 on which it turns when the arm moves into The hanger arms ing a curved end 25 which is anchored to the inside of the case by a fixed pin 26 operating loosely in an arcuate slot 27 in the curved end. This rack-bar extends inside of the pivoted support bar 17 and is provided with a series of rack-teeth 28 which are engaged by teeth 29 on the'hubs of the hanger-arms.

When the support-bar 17 is lowered and raised, it carries the rack-bar with it, but the length of the slot 27 and the position of the pin 26 is such that the latter is engaged by a terminal of the slot before the sup port bar is fully lowered or raised. sequently, the rack-bar is held stationary with respect to the support-bar, although free to pivot on the pin 26, with the result that further movement of the support-bar causes it to slide along the rack-bar so that the stationary rack-teeth of the latter rotate the toothed-hubs of the hanger-arms, swingingthem into open or closed position,

Con

as the case may be. The arrangement is such that the hanger-arms close against the sides of the support-bar as the latter is swung upwardly into the case and they open as the support-bar is swung downwardly from the case, the operation being automatic as the bar is raised and lowered.

In the modification shown in Figures 6 to 9, inclusive, the case ispassed through a suitable opening formed preferably in a top panel 31 of a wardrobe so that the case will 'extendinside the wardrobe. It is secured in place by any suitable means, such as by a flange 32 on the outside edge of the case and washer 33 on the-inside of the panel,.bolts 34: being passed therethrough and secured by nuts 35. A stop 36 is provided at the forward end of the case to engage projections 37 at the rear end of the support bar 38,;andthus-prevents the bar from being entirely withdrawn from the case.- A series of hanger-arms 39, similar in construction to the hanger-arms of the previously described device, are carried by. the

A bar 38 and swung onpivot-pins 10 so as the hubs of the hanger-arms. In the modified form of the invention, however, the rackbar extends outwardly. beyond the front, rather than'the rear, end of the support-bar and is provided at its exposed end with an operating handle or grip, 45. Suitable stops 46 are also carried by the rack-bar for engagingthe forward end of the support-bar to limit the forward movement of the bar. VVhenthe support-bar is within the case, as in .Fig. 7, the hanger-arms lie within the openings 41 and the handle 45 ofthe rackbar is close against'the face of thesupp'ortbar. To openthehanger, the handle 45 is grasped and' pulled outwardly but is prevented from shifting within the support-bar by reason of the abutment of the hangerarms with the enclosing walls of-the case. However, the pull is communicatedto the support-bar sothat the'latter is thereby withdrawn from the case and as soon as the last set of hanger-arms isfree of the case, the rack-bar'slides forward within the support-bar, swinging-the hanger-arms outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 9. The device is then ready for use.

From-the foregoing it will be apparent that'the'invention may be embodied in several different forms and modifications and it is to be understood that further changes support-bar and the, said slidable member,

and means for causing such relative sliding movement at a predetermined time-during the swinging movement of the said supportbar. v

2 A garment-hanger comprising a support, a member pivoted to the support for movement outwardly thereof, a plurality of pivoted hanger-arms carried by said pivoted member, slidablemember carried by the said pivoted member and operatively connected to the said pivoted hanger-arms for swinging the latter upon their respective pivots when. the said members are moved relativeto one another, and a connection between the said slidable member and the said 1 support operatingto cause such relative movement of the members at a. predetermined time duringthe pivotal movement of the said pivoted member.

3. A garment-hanger comprising a support, a support-bar pivoted to the support, a plurality of hanger-arms pivoted to the support-bar, a slide carried by the said supportbar and operating the said hanger-arms, and a loose pivot connection between the said support and one end of the said slide, said connection including means forcausing the slide to move automatically relative to the support-bar and at apredetermined time during the pivotal movementof the said support-bar.

4. A garment-hangercomprising a case, a support-bar fitting within the case and pivoted thereto for movement. outwardly thereof, a plurality ofpivotally mounted hanger-arms supported on opposite sides of the said support-bar, an operating slide on the inside of the saidsupport-bar with one end exposed therefrom and penetrating the the said slideand the said'hanger-arms, and means for causing a relativelysliding movement between the said slide and the said support-bar, said means-including a fixed -said=casing, an operating connectionbetween pin on the inside of the said case and-operating in anarcuate slot in the said exposed end of the said slide.

5. A garment-hangercomprising a support-bar having a central bore and having opposite sides provided With a series of external grooves respectively terminating at one end in an opening communicating with the said bore, a plurality of hanger-arms on the said opposite sides of the support-bar,

each of said hanger-arms being shaped to fit into a groove and having a toothed hubportion pivotally mounted in the said opening at the end of the groove, and a rackbar slidable Within the said bore of the support-bar and presenting on opposite sides a series of rack-teeth in operative engagement with the said toothed hub-portions of the said hanger-arms.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

